As if on a dimmer switch, the six sets on Comedians You Should Know (Red Bar Comedy Records) go from light to dusky to absolutely Marc Maron–facsimile dark.

Don’t construe that observation as a complaint either. Aside from the jokes, of course, the fun of listening to this mischievous album is the diving contest among Kallas, Kilgallon, Lebovitz, Michael and Sanchez to see who can go lower while remaining highly hilarious. (DeRosa, the emcee, is the relatively light member of this gregarious group.)

Weird (in a fun way) and wired describes all these comics, whose base is Chicago but not the basis of their comedy. This isn’t a provincial “How ’bout dem Bears,” “How ’bout dem Cubbies” CD or a paean to bratwurst. Oh no. All six expose their personalities and peccadilloes to strangers for laughs — and catharsis, perhaps. In the hands of six pros, racial differences and restraining-order sex (Drew Michael track below) sound positively hysterical.

Download a copy of Comedians You Should Knowon iTunes. You won’t be sorry. Unless you like shitty comedy.

About the Author

John Delery

John Delery has written thousands of articles and millions of words in his career, and still he has professional goals: He wants "Be honest with me, Doc: Will I ever tweet again?" to someday supplant "Take my wife...please" as the Great American punch line.